The promoter of The Boat Show says boat dealers and related exhibitors will once again be shoulder-to-shoulder this weekend at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Jeff Smith said there won’t be a big increase in the number of exhibitors in the 2011 version of the show because he “worked really hard to pack it last year.” As a result, the show experienced a 94 percent increase in attendance over the 2009 show.

Smith, president of JLS Marine, a Springfield company that sells boat docks and lifts, said he had been an exhibitor at all previous shows before buying the show and becoming its promoter last year.

“We’ll have nine boat dealers representing 30 manufacturers,” he said. “There will be a lot of variety.

“There will be some booth vendors (12), but the primary thing is the boat deals,” he said. “This is the show that kicks off the dealers’ season.”

Lake Springfield Marina is one of those boat dealers with something different for The Boat Show.

The marina is offering a new program called The Boat Club that allows people a certain number of boat or watercraft uses in each of three packages. The company will be offering “day-of-show-only” discounts.

“They’ve been doing this with bigger boats and airplanes for a while now,” said Lake Springfield Marina owner Bob Gordon. “We’re offering eight or nine different varieties of boats, including Wave Runners, ski boats, fishing and paddleboats, pontoons and canoes.”

“For the past few years, I’ve noticed that for every person getting into boating, there’s one getting out,” Gordon said, noting that the cost of ownership and lack of use are among the factors forcing people out of boating.

With The Boat Club concept, boaters pay a one-time signup fee and make monthly payments that are lower than most purchase payments, he said. Members also get limited use of the marina’s 42-foot platform boat.

Gordon said owning a boat makes sense for some.

“If you plan on using your boat a lot, or if you like to take your boat to several different lakes during the year, ownership is the only option,” he said. “If you’re a die-hard fisherman or skier, you might be inclined to buy a specialty boat designed specifically for that use.”

Gordon also said people who join The Boat Club might subsequently decide to buy.

“I’m hoping to get back some of the people who got out,” he said.

Smith said interest among exhibitors in the 2011 show is higher than last year, but there just isn’t room to get everyone in.

“Hopefully it will be as good as last year,” he said.

“There was a slowdown in the boating industry two or three years ago, but it has come back,” Smith said. “I don’t hear people talking about it anymore.”

Page 2 of 2 - “I think the larger boats, the fiberglass boats and cruisers, got hit harder. There are still a lot of pontoons, fishing boats and runabouts being sold.”

City Water, Light and Power, in cooperation with the state Department of Natural Resources, is again offering the Melissa Kwedar Safe Boating Clinics.

Two courses will be held this spring on consecutive Saturdays at the utility’s Property Management Center, 200 E. Lake Shore Drive, east of the Spaulding Dam Boat Launch.

Courses are from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 2 and 9 and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 7 and 14.

The free classes are open to anyone 12 years or older but are especially geared toward teenagers.

Everyone who successfully completes a two-day session will receive a boating safety certificate from DNR, which is required for those from age 12 to 17 who will pilot a motorized watercraft solo on Illinois waterways. Course content includes basic boat knowledge, equipment, navigation, safety on and in the water, emergency measures, and skipper's duties.

Although the clinics are free, anyone wishing to attend must pre-register by calling 757-8660, ext. 1203. Space is limited. A parent or guardian must accompany children under age 15. Participants may bring snacks for breaks.

The Kwedar Safe Boating Clinics originated as a memorial to Melissa Kwedar, a Springfield teen who was killed in a 1982 boating accident.